I can’t wait to get down to Haiti! And I’m praying that this is just the first of many trips to a place that I’ve been wanting to get to for a really long time.

Haiti is the poorest nation in the Western hemisphere. The average person in that country lives in such extreme poverty that it absolutely turns my stomach. When 80% of the people there live on $400 per year (or less), then we’re talking about people who cannot afford even the most basic of necessities.

Of course there are lots of reasons that the situation is so bad down there. Part of it was the cost of purchasing their independence from the French. Part of it has been corrupt leadership that has refused to invest in a proper infrastructure.

But regardless of the underlying causes, the truth is that the church is called to minister to the poor. And if the nation of Haiti doesn’t fit the heart of that call, then I don’t know what does.

The team that I’m going with is a youth group team from my church. There are about 50 of us that’ll be making the trip. It’s the largest missions team of any kind that our church has ever sent out, and people are getting behind it like few things that I’ve ever seen.

In usual youth group fashion, we held a dinner theater and silent auction fundraiser. During this event, I had the opportunity to share my heart and a testimony about why I’m going. Check out the video of that testimony here…

[youtube g3UJ1eKoalw nolink]

I’d love to ask you to join me in prayer over this trip. I’ll be sharing more updates and reports throughout this experience, and your prayer support is one of the most important things that I could ask for. Let me know if you’d like to be a part of this incredible mission in some way…

Check out more from this mission in the haiti diaries.